Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

The present case study has a object to investigate the changes in locomotion patterns of infant with athetoid cerebral palsy would be occured by the program when it is applied with upper extremity weight bearing. The subject has been limited to one infant over one year of age, selected from the pati...

The present case study has a object to investigate the changes in locomotion patterns of infant with athetoid cerebral palsy would be occured by the program when it is applied with upper extremity weight bearing. The subject has been limited to one infant over one year of age, selected from the patients in the physical therapy clinic, Rehabilitation Center, Taegu University. Subject is normal in the visual and auditory sense, but he is unable to walk on his own Subject weighted 2.9kg at birth and underwent severe postnatal kernicterus, always on the baby-walker at homo. He disliked supine position characteristic in moving in athetoid type before he was under the program. The program was applied 7 months. Each session of the program is composed of 7 stages : (1) prebriefing between the therapist and the parents (2) pretherapy amusement time of the infant (3) warming-up (4) upper extremity weight bearing (5) cooling-down (6) post-therapy amusement time (7) postbriefing. The locomotion of the subject is proved to be influenced by the program. He showed a leftward circular movement as a result of the exercise, reducing the involuntary movement of his head when he was positioned for crawling. Later he proceeded to develop into creeping, crawling, kneeling and finally cruising. In conclusion, it appeared evident that the locomotive abilities of the subject is improved by the program explored in this study. The higher locomotive patterns could be achieved such as crawling, sitting, kneeling and cruising wich enable the upper extremities weight bearing.